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Name: Barbara Calhoun
Email: calhouns@erols.com
Age: 30
Occupation: Web Designer
NumberOfCruises: 1
TravelAgent: Yes
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-NordicEmpress
SailingDate: 08/23/98 - 08/27/98
Itinerary: Nassau/Cococay
FoodDiningRoom: 98
CruiseDirector: 98
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 98
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 95
FoodMidnightBuffets: 98
CabinSteward: 98
ShoreExcVariety: 95
FoodVariety: 95
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 90
GoodForHoneymoon: 90
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 98
GoodForFamilies: 98
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 98
GoodForSeniors: 90
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 98
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 98
OverallPortsofCall: 90
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 95
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 85
DiscoNightclubs: 90
DeckSpace: 85
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 90
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 28 Sep 1998
Time: 13:46:07
Remote Name: 156.80.43.57
Remote User:
Comments
The Nordic Empress was wonderful!
My husband, 6-year old son, and I wanted to do something 'different' for our family
vacation this year and decided that a cruise would be perfect.
This was our first cruise and it met all our expectations.
While we booked our trip through a travel agent, RCC made the plane arrangements. We were
unimpressed. We live in Virginia and it takes about 3
hours to travel by air. We had a 2-hour layover in Atlanta which made for a 5-hour trip.
Next time, we'll just fly down a couple days before and see
the sights in Orlando before we board the ship. At the airport in Orlando, we were met by
representatives from RCC. They were great. They walked
everyone, which was just about everyone on our flight, to claim our luggage. Then we
boarded a bus to Cape Canaveral. The ship was beautiful
when we pulled up along-side it. We were reminded several times of tipping, by the bus
driver and another person unloading the luggage. Being
newbies at cruising, we didn't know if this was customary, but found it to be tacky.
Check-in took about an hour, but it seemed to move quickly and we hardly noticed the time
pass by. We located our room and it took about an
hour for our luggage to reach it. Our room was an inside cabin and it was small, but we
didn't mind. We figured we wouldn't be spending much time
there. They could add a few more inches to the shower. Both my husband and I kept getting
tangled in the curtain which would stick to us while we
showered! There was plenty of closet space, but I'd suggest bringing hangers. We only had
a few. We were impressed by our Cabin Steward. The
first night, our beds were apart so my husband and I pushed them together. All other
nights, our Steward remembered and our beds were joined
together. It would be a nice touch to have a clasp on the legs of each bed to hold them
together. When I rolled over one night, I fell through the
center!
There was a lunch buffet waiting for us in the Windjammer Café as we boarded. Being a
sold-out ship, it was extremely crowded. The food was
mediocre. Not great, but fine for a buffet. We ate one other time in the Windjammer and
the same items were served. We ate all our other meals in
the Dining Room. The food and staff were incredible! We shared our table with 2 other
families, one with a daughter our son's age. I'd recommend
ordering something from each section of the menu. The first night, I just assumed you were
automatically served the course when there was only
one item to choose from. Wrong… you have to ask for it. The waiters were wonderful
with our son, even running up to the Windjammer to get him
a bowel of pickles that he asked for! We only made it to one midnight buffet, and that was
on the formal night. Wow, everything was incredible. All
the foods were carved into animals and different forms. It was beautiful. The desserts
were abundant and we made a meal out of them!
Our trip was a 4-night/5-day cruise, our ports being Nassau and Cococay. Unfortunately, we
were down there during Hurricane Bonnie. We spent
the first day out at sea and the boat was rocking pretty extreme. Bags were taped
everywhere and many people were sick. It was difficult to walk
at some times. On day 3, we went to Key West instead of Nassau. Key West was pretty, but
we were a little disappointed at not being able to go to
Nassau - since we had our hearts set on the Caribbean. We'll remember that next time we
book a cruise during hurricane season! We went to
Ernest Hemingway's house and Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. Both were wonderful and a
hit with our son. We also walked around the island,
looking at the beautiful houses. Bonnie finally moved to the Carolina's and we made it to
Cococay. It was great! The snorkeling was very overpriced
($25 each) and I'd recommend bringing your own gear, their's was nothing special. While
our son played on the beach, my husband and I went
exploring and saw a ton of great fish and a ship wreck. It was just gorgeous. I'd heard a
lot about encounters with jelly-fish there, but we didn't
see any. Wear lots of suntan lotion or wear a t-shirt. We were severely burned by the end
of the day and each of us wore a ton of lotion.
We were disappointed by the pool area on the ship. It was way too small for that many
people and there weren't enough chairs. We never even
got to step foot in the pool because it was so crowded. Frozen drinks were plentiful and
waiters carried tray-fulls around. The ship was very clean
and we were really impressed with that.
The kids program was wonderful. We dropped our son off for 3-hour periods of time
throughout the cruise. The staff was attentive and our son
had a ball. It also allowed my husband and I time to take in the shows and casino by
ourselves. The shows were very entertaining, especially the
Newlywed Game. Throughout the cruise, photographers took your picture and then they were
posted for you to purchase or not. This was fine
towards the beginning, but got annoying at Cococay. It caused a lot of long lines in the
heat, especially if you didn't care to have your picture
taken.
The only real downfall to our cruise was disembarking. What a nightmare. We were not
informed at all of the procedures and ended up having to
sit on the floor with other passengers, in a very crowded room, waiting for two hours to
disembark. Everyone was required wait until everyone paid
their bills, so the entire ship was held up due to several passengers - which in turn had
us running to our plane. There has to be a better way to
collect money.
All in all, we loved our cruise. We'd definitely ride on this child-friendly ship again!
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